MCHHS Board of Trustees Meeting 01/27/2014

The Mitchell County Board of Trustees met yesterday for their regular monthly meeting. Among the items discussed were years of service recognition, the purchase of a new EKG machine, and progress of Kan Care contracts.

Three long-term employees were recognized this month for their years of service to the hospital. They are Peggy Smith in Dietary with 15 years of service, Jane Jermark in Acute Care with 35 years of service, and Joan Schwerman, business office manager, also with 35 years of service. Congratulations and comments of appreciation were shared by members of the board for these many years of service by these individuals.

One action item for the board was to approve the purchase of a new EKG machine. The hospital currently has two EKG machines, but their systems will soon no longer be supported, so the board approved the purchase of one new machine before the other two the hospital currently has were not longer supported. The cost of two of these machines would have been near $23,000, so the board elected to purchase one for now at a cost of around $12,000 and utilize the two that the hospital already has for as long as they can.

The board also discussed Kan Care contracts and stated that there is still no contract with United, but hospital personnel are negotiating to get one into place. They would like to have a contract and this is a very important topic for the hospital, but there has not been much progress on the side of United to make this a reality.

Additional topics of discussion included each board member reviewing and signing their conflict of interest statements and a carry and conceal exemption. This exemption has been in place for six months, but has now been renewed for four years. This is carried for security, but as of now the hospital does not have any security personnel. A survey will be done among hospital staff to see if there is any objection to keeping this exemption in effect. Finally, the finance committee met last week and their discussion on the progress they have made in choosing an auditor was shared. One has not yet been chosen, but they still have time to choose from among the qualified, interested parties they have seen so far.

The board finished with an executive session discussing medical staff credentials and risk management before adjournment.